Dive Into a Series Full of Assassins, Murder, and Love

Photo Credit / Paige Morgan
“Throne of Glass” spans over seven novels and each bring Celaena, the main protagonist, through challenges to be the King’s Champion.

Paige Moran

Staff Writer

The “Throne of Glass” is a fantasy – with a touch of romance – novel written by Sarah J. Mass. This is the first out of seven books on the series. This novel takes place in a fantasy world called Erilea, which by the Kings orders has been void of all magic.

Celaena Sardothian, the main character, has been trained from a young age by the world’s best assassin. The book starts with Celaena wondering if she will be able to escape the salt mine she has been enslaved in for the past year.

The hallways and staircases are like a maze, so it’s hard for her to try to escape from it. Celaena has tried numerous of times to escape before, but she is captured every time and beaten for trying.

The jailers take her to a long hallway where she is met by Chaol Westfall, the Captain of the Royal Guard. Celaena’s capturers hand her over to Chaol and she thinks that she will soon be killed.

He won’t say where he is taking Celaena, but she will soon find out from him. He then leads her to a room packed with Chaol’s guards and Dorian Haillivard, the Crown Prince of Adarlan.

The Crown Prince propositions Celaena for her freedom. Dorian explains that his father is having a competition and whoever wins becomes the King’s Champion – the King’s Assassin.

His father is getting the most talented assassins from all over Erilea and has them compete against each other. Whoever is alive at the end of the competition is the winner.

Iff Celaena is the winner of the contest, after six years, the King will grant Celaena her freedom.

During the competition, there is a magical monster – though magic has been gone from the world- that is murdering the competitors.

From the start, Celaena felt a connection with both Dorian and Chaol. Not only is this book about fantasy and war, but a love triangle between two long friends and an assassin comes from the connections Celaena makes.

The “Throne of Glass” is filled with blood, murder, magic, mystery, and love. I think this book, and the series, has lots to offer for all types of readers.

The books are long, about 400 pages each, but don’t feel discouraged! They are engaging and will keep reader’s attention throughout the lengthy series.

The book is told in third person point of view by different characters each chapter. They are primarily told by Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian. Occasionally, there are other characters narrating, especially in the books following the first one. Each adds a new viewpoint on the events happening and can keep the book fresh with new characters.

I personally love this book and the series. Currently, I am on the fourth book and can’t stop reading!

There are plenty of ways you can read this book! Stop by the Kemp Library, the University’s library, or check out your towns local library.

If for some crazy reason the physical copies are unavailable, many libraries have programs where you can borrow e-books. Our campus’s EZ Borrow is a way to rent books. Just put in your student ID and send the request.

The Free Library of Philadelphia is another easy way to rent e-books. All you need is the name of your library and to make sure your library is a part of the program. Just call and ask.